Busy, busy week: The usual MLS week comes and goes with 8-10 matches. But Round 11 was a lulu, with 15 matches. We’ll need to put in for overtime trying to sort out that Team of the Week.

Weirdest incident: Mario de Luna pushing a ball boy? Yep … that’s got to be it. And by the way, there seems to be some social media sentiment about it being a “little shove” or how the Chivas USA defender “barely touched the kid” or whatever. That’s a bunch of hooey. Professional athletes can never put their hands in an aggressive manner on any staff member, official or, most certainly, a kid.

Best win:We’re going to have to call this one a draw. Because Seattle’s 4-0 thumping of San Jose was a grand day around CenturyLink Field, where things are bright and right again after that disastrous opening month. But Sporting Kansas City did something no team has done in almost two years: invade Houston and walk away with all the points. SKC’s 1-0 win snapped the league’s longest home unbeaten streak over all 18 years; the Dynamo had gone 36 matches across all competitions without a loss in South Texas.

Most significant breakthrough: Vancouver checked a couple of big boxes with its well-earned 3-1 win over the two-time defending MLS champion Galaxy. First, this was the Whitecaps’ first win since March 9. Two months is a long, long time to go without lifting a celebratory pint. And it was the club’s first win ever over the Galaxy; the ‘Caps were winless in seven previously against Bruce Arena’s club.

Best goal: You can’t top a bicycle kick game-winner. Thierry Henry put a real flourish on his game winner over Montreal. Watch it from all angles at the bottom of this post. As Red Bulls analyst Shep Messing said, “That is a thing of beauty.”

Best week for a club: Sorry, you members of the Timbers Army, but we’ve got to go with Seattle on this one.

Yes, the Timbers had a fantastic week, walking out of FC Dallas Stadium with a draw (and perhaps deserving more against the league leaders) and then clobbering Chivas USA at home. But Sigi Schmid’s Sounders did one better, winning at Sporting Kansas City and then doing some clobbering of their own in a 4-0 win over San Jose.

Lots of character, apparently: Everyone seems to be beating the drum for “character.” Montreal Impact manager Marco Schallibaum referenced it after his team rebounded from a midweek setback, rallying from a goal-down late Saturday to nick Real Salt Lake at Stade Saputo.

And in Texas, manager Schellas Hyndman talked about his team’s character in a 2-1 win over D.C. United. His team was missing five starters, including its top two men, center back George John and former league MVP playmaker David Ferreira.

Dismissal watch: Unfortunately, the league’s youngest manager remains on the hottest of managerial hot seats. This was a very bad week for Ben Olsen at D.C. United. That loss in Dallas won’t have anyone too upset. But being the seventh loss in a row (a club record) multiplies the misery, especially coming of a 4-0 loss at home three nights earlier.

The suffering Swans have had their share of poor performances this season — Clement later said January transfer spending “is a must” if the club wants to stay up — but he’s throwing his hands up in the air when it comes to Wednesday’s loss at the Liberty Stadium.

“At times it was horrible to be on the sideline watching that, seeing my side trying but suffering for long periods. They’re not the games that will decide our season but it was hard to watch at times because they were so dominant. For me, one of the best sides I’ve ever come across. So many good athletes, so many intelligent footballers and it’s really hard to pin them down. We actually had some attempts on their goal so I’m disappointed we didn’t get on the score sheet but they were a far superior side to us. We’ve got to put it aside that game. We’ve got Everton away (next) and we’ve got to try and pick something up there.”

All that’s left is for Clement to pick up a clarinet, awkwardly blow into it, then point at Pep Guardiola and say, “He’s good.”

United didn’t have it’s A-game, but that was okay thanks to fine defensive play from star backstop David De Gea and some gutsy tackles from Phil Jones. The goal came when Juan Mata‘s cross was nodded home by Romelu Lukaku in the 25th minute, and United rode that marker for all it was worth to stay three points ahead of third place Chelsea.

How good is Man City? Pep Guardiola‘s bunch have now won a Premier League record 15-straight in a single season, and have scored 52 goals while conceding just 11. Markers 49-52 came from David Silva (two), Kevin De Bruyne, and Sergio Aguero. Tottenham is next.

A ball bounded off Ahmed Hegazi’s body, and off Dominic Solanke‘s body and forearm to give Liverpool its presumed breakthrough, but the call was intentional handball. The Reds had myriad chances to score before that, but instead hand a point to the visiting Baggies.

The chances were there for dominant Arsenal, but the winning goal did not materialize at the London Stadium. Marko Arnautovic did everything but score when West Ham did manage the ball, and Javier Hernandez rattled the cage late, but David Moyes men had to settle for a well-earned point.

8 – Eight different clubs have won more points away from home in the Premier League than Arsenal (9) this season – Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool, Burnley, Watford, Leicester & Spurs. Issue. pic.twitter.com/waUWHXCws6

Spurs are back in the Top Four thanks to a long Serge Aurier cross that fooled Mat Ryan and a Heung-Min Son deflection of a Christian Eriksen offering. Brighton’s just three points away from the drop zone with the loss.

Claude Puel‘s Foxes are flying, scoring goals for fun and encroaching on the Top Four after a horrible start to the Premier League season. Shinji Okazaki bagged his first Premier League brace, while Andy King and Riyad Mahrez also scored for Leicester, who is within five points of fourth and next faces Crystal Palace. Southampton’s goal came from Maya Yoshida.

1 – This is the first time that two Japanese players have scored for opposing sides in the history of the Premier League. Answer. https://t.co/HOApDbofnv

Wenger was content enough with the result, as he continued to be in the chorus of managers who lament the congested Premier League schedule around the holidays. From the BBC:

“We had so much of the ball, but it was very frustrating because we could even have lost it at the end. They’re happy to defend, they did that against Chelsea and Manchester City, so we couldn’t find the opening and the few chances we had we missed.

…

“When you play every three days, you lose your sharpness.”

That’s true, and to his credit Wenger didn’t try to say West Ham had one day’s more rest (which they did). As Man City runs away with the league and Manchester United doesn’t look fit to drop back to the back, the race for the final two Top Four spots is as congested as the schedule. Arsenal needs to turn some of its shot-heavy performances into goal-heavy cruises sometime soon.